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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

       Picuris Pueblo,

 Picuris Pueblo Indian

     Reservation,  NM


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the
expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed
into law the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the
Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Addi-
tionally, funding  support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

Picuris Pueblo was selected to receive a brownfields
cleanup grant. Picuris Pueblo (330 members) is a
federally recognized tribe and the smallest of New
Mexico's indigenous nations.  Settled since about 800
A.D., the Picuris Pueblo  settlement is one of the
country's oldest continuously inhabited settlements.
The tribe's median income is $11,528, 36 percent of
families live below the federal poverty level, and 19
percent of residents are unemployed. Beginning in the
1950s, small local mining companies began exploring
the cleanup site. Industrial-scale production began
                                                            L_T
  Cleanup  Grant
  $140,137 for hazardous substances

  EPA has selected Picuris Pueblo for a brownfields
  cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds
  will be used to reclaim mine-scarred land at the
  U.S. Hill Mica Mine site, ten miles south of
  Ranches de Taos. The area was an important
  cultural site once used by the tribe for small-scale
  gathering of micaceous clay for making tradi-
  tional pottery, but was later used to extract and
  process minerals. It contains unsafe conditions,
  and contributes to area contamination. Grant
  funds also will be used for community outreach
  activities.
  Contacts
  For further information, including specific grant
  contacts, additional grant information, brownfields
  news and events, and publications and links, visit
  the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/
  brownfields.

  EPA Region 6 Brownfields Team
  214-665-2241
  http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields

  Grant Recipient: Picuris Pueblo, NM
  505-587-2519

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
there in 1988, and between 1999 and 2004, the site was
the largest mica mine west of the Mississippi River. The
site has been blighted by mining, and has contributed to
siltation and erosion from uncontrolled stormwater
runoff. Picuris Pueblo has suffered from the loss of
sacred space and the traditions tied to the site. The
cleanup grant will enable the tribe to restore the site,
protecting water, land, and habitat. It will also allow the
tribe to use the site for sacred activities. Finally, it will
provide economic development opportunities through
the crafting and sale of micaceous pottery.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-06-148
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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